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Earth is facing its largest
mass extinction since the disappearance of the dinosaurs. From
one-third to one-half of the planet’s 6,000 amphibian species
– frogs and toads, salamanders and newts, and caecilians,
which have thrived for 360 million years – are in danger of
extinction.
To mitigate this crisis, the world’s leading conservationists have joined together to name 2008 “The Year of the Frog” in hopes of raising both awareness and the critical funding needed to address the crisis. Amphibians are often called “the world’s canaries in the coal mine,” and when hundreds of species are in decline it serves as a global warning to other species.
A broad strategy, called the Amphibian Conservation Action Plan (ACAP), will unfold to protect habitat and address other environmental threats. ACAP’s most urgent initiative, the Amphibian Ark, will develop, promote, and guide short-term captive management of the most threatened amphibians, making possible the long-term survival of species for which adequate protection in the wild is not currently possible. It is being orchestrated co-operatively by the IUCN/SSC Conservation Breeding Specialist Group, the IUCN/SSC Amphibian Specialist Group, and the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA).
